Rules on working time for bus and trucks drivers must be also applied to self-employed, decided the European Parliament. The Commission had previously presented a proposal that self-employed drivers keep on to be excluded from the 2002 Working Time Directive on the road transport industry.

 But in name of the safety for some and in name of the workers’ rights for others, the MEP’s formed a majority able to reject the EC plan to rise the working time until 86 hours per week. With 368 votes in favour, 301 against and 8 abstentions, Parliament's plenary corroborated the Employment Committee's vote two weeks ago against any additional exception. The committee declared that: “health and safety and road safety concerns plus the need for fair competition in the industry”.

The focal point of the conservatives and the liberals parties were on the problem of 'false' self-employed drivers (those who are not actually free to work for more than one client), but the Left deputies understood that this lack of legislation couldn’t be advantageous for workers in this situation.

The present EU law on employed drivers establishes a standard limit of 48 hours a week, which can go up to 60 hours a week if the average does not exceed the of 48 hours a week over a period of four months.

German MEP from Die Linke Thomas Händel said the Commission and Bauer's text was "about nothing more than an extension of the working hours worked of the self-employed".

 "The protection of people against excessive working hours is a 150 year old problem. It does not matter whether it is a self-employed or salaried driver that is overworked; it's about protecting people from the excessive working hours that lead to an increased risk of accidents” he said.